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| Title | Preparing for War |
| Creator | Cruikshank, George, 1792-1878 |
| Publisher | Jones, M. |
| Place of Publication | England -- London -- Newgate Street |
| Date | 1815 |
| Caption Text | Caption on Image:
Preparing for War
Pub'd by M. Jones No 5 Newgate Street
June 1st 1815
G. Cruickshank fec't
Dialogue and Signage:
[Sacred bull] Alass de must I come to this:--have I bled for so many years in your service & will you now take my life?
[man standing over bull] Better to die Johnny then live & see thrive the thing we hate—let us arm—war, --war, interminable war I say, down with the regicide no quarter to the Usurper—so I said at Congress so I now repeat & if it is your fate to expire at the alter, Johnny, all I ask is that I may live to preach your financial sermon
[Executioner] No grumbling, Johnny, you are a noble sacrifice & worthy of the cause
[Bull's blanket] Land tax Ditto Personal Tax on Windows, Dogs, Houses, Servants, Clerks, Shopmen, Carts, Hay, Powder, Horses, Waiters, Travelers, [unreadable]
[Sign on bull's funeral pyre] SACRED to the BOURBON cause and dedicated to the Downfall of illegitimate TYRANNY
[Man at left] Why this looks like War! Order me a brilliant Fete, send me a myriad of Cooks & Scullions, say to me no more of civil lists & deserted wives but of lascivious mistresses de Bachanalian orgies__ can't read Pell Mell—my soul is eager for the fierce encounter—what—are my Whiskers easier than they were?
[Hairdresser of that man] Your Highness shall in all things be obey'd
[Tailor of that man] I think these will be the best stays your Highness has had yet
[Small men in field] Well—we've Tally for the Field tomorrow! But don't forget the Eau Medicinal & the Fleecy hosiery alas these gouty limbs are but ill adapted to jack boots & spurs, I think I had better fight my battles over a cool bottle with my Friend George
[Napoleon] Let loose the Dogs of War
[N's soldier] Here is a glorious pack already sniffing human blood & fresh for slaughter—on comrades on! The word is Buonaparte Belzebub & blood
[Labels on headless creatures beside executioner] for Subsidys, for the Army, for Navy,
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| Historical Notes | Published a fortnight before the Battle of Waterloo, the drawing presents three themes: that England (John Bull) can't survive the taxes necessary to go to war again, that the Regent (Prince of Wales, later George IV) is more worried about his appearance and social life than about war, and that Louis XVIII (old, dissolute) is no asset to the cause.
In the foreground, we see preparations for the funeral pyre of John Bull, who stands by in chains. The cloth over his back refers to the crushing burden of taxes levied to fight the Napoleonic Wars. The Chancellor of the Exchequer for the Tory party, Vansittart, stands on a large tub ready to attack the bull with "New War Taxes." Facing the pyre is the prime minister, the Earl of Liverpool, dressed as a butcher and in the midst of sharpening a big knife.
George IV, regent for his mad father, appears in the lefthand corner, being measured by his tailor and attended by his barber and valet. He sees the impending war as an excuse for a party, and asks for cooks and servents and lascivious mistresses.
Napoleon is shown across the English Channel standing on a cliff, about to "Let loose the Dogs of war!"
Louis XVIII rides up on a decrepit looking horse, followed by two aging soldiers carrying his medicine bottles. His comments make it clear he will sit out the fight.
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| Publishing Notes | Published June 1st, 1815 in Scourge magazine (Monthly expositor of imposture and folly).
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| Subjects (LCSH) | Political cartoons
History--Caricatures & cartoons
Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821
Napoleonic Wars, 1800-1815
Louis XVIII, King of France, 1755-1824
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| Geographic Coverage | France |
| Digital Collection | Napoleonic Period
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| Digital ID Number | NAP034 |
| Repository | University of Washington Libraries. Special Collections Division. |
| Repository Collection | Napoleon Collection |
| UW Reference Number | E28 |
| Object Type | Print |
| Physical Description | Etching, hand colored ; on sheet 21 x 50 cm. |
| Digital Reproduction Information | Scanned from original drawing in RGB at 200-400 dpi, saved in TIFF format, changed to indexed color, enhanced and resized using Adobe Photoshop, and imported as JPEG2000 using Contentdm software's JPEG2000 Extension. 2006. |
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